Street Update #99

Anika Dačić graduated in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory from the Faculty of Philology in Belgrade and is currently pursuing MA in Literary and Cultural Studies. Her interests lie in social and cultural aspects of contemporary art production and she especially enjoys writing about street and urban art. Likes to knit, play adventure video games and host quiz nights at a local bar.

With no further digressions, we bring you five favorite murals of the past week, so scroll down and enjoy…

Tellas in London

Illustrious Italian artist Tellas took a trip to the UK last week, where he was invited by the Howard Griffin Gallery to paint a mural for the Village Underground art hub. No matter what medium Tellas chooses to work in, whether it’s his large-scale murals like this one, or his smaller pieces on paper, the final results of his efforts are a real treat for the beholders. The finished piece truly looks amazing and it incorporates all the signature elements of the artist’s work from the natural landscape motifs to the complex composition of lines and shapes.

Levalet in Strasbourg

French artist Levalet has done a new piece on the streets of Strasbourg, continuing the astonishing series of site-specific artworks. Always amazingly innovative, Levalet managed once again to see what ordinary people would miss. For some passersby, a couple of basement window bars are things that don’t deserve a second look, but with his keen eye for details, Levalet saw an opportunity to turn those rusty iron bars into a tale of imprisonment. Conveniently entitled Rescue, the piece imagines the story of a prisoner trapped in a cell, guarded by the policemen, who is about to get his freedom back with a little assistance from a friend.

NemO’s in Sicily

Another Italian artist has made it to our list. Borrowing the moniker inspiration from the Jules Verne’s character, the marine captain Nemo who fought the battles on the sea, street artist NemO’s continues the legacy of this great captain, fighting against the ignorance and vagueness in our society. The Ignorance piece shows one of NemO’s signature naked characters standing on top of his head and vainly trying to look beyond the wall. A powerful metaphor brought in a humorous way, something that the Italian artist is best at.

Case MaClaim - School Mural

Last time we saw Case from MaClaim crew was a couple of weeks ago, when he was visiting the United States. On his return to Europe, Case has painted another of his astonishing murals, this time following a more intimate inspiration. The walls of the school building, on which the mural was painted, hold a special place in the heart of the artist whose mother used to teach at the very same facility. Beautifully incorporated into the surroundings and interacting with the light source, the mural brings attention to the importance of education while exploring the familiar imagery of the Wizard of Oz and Scarecrow’s motto that brains are the most important thing worth having.

DEIH in Valencia, Spain

After his magnificent work in Reykjavik, Iceland for the Wall Poetry project, Deih has returned to his hometown of Valencia and he isn’t wasting his time. A couple of days ago, in his recognizable futuristic cyberpunk style, Deih has asked that question we often do not dare to ask. What would happen if we would cut all our social media connections? Deih answered with the image of a shattered mask on one of his characters, wondering if a true face of a person will appear, embracing the beauties of the world beyond the internet. For those who would like to try out the advice, a good idea might be to go on a quest for Deih’s new and amazing artwork on the streets of Valencia. Perhaps even share the location with our community? Via social media of course.